Guide to Rising to Power as a Wife in Beijing's Elite Circle

The VIP lounge at Yanning Caojiabao Airport was filled with smoke.

Deputy Director Wang of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission personally came to see him off, accompanied by Director Liu of the Energy Bureau and the Deputy General Manager of the Cultural Tourism Group. An Qi was also among them, sitting by the window, holding a cup of tea, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Fang Jingxiu.

"Director Fang has given us Qinghai a lot of valuable advice during this visit." Deputy Director Wang handed over a cigarette, a specially supplied Zhonghua brand with gold lettering on the filter.

Fang Jingxiu took it, but didn't order it right away. He held it in his hand and turned it around. "Director Wang, you're too kind. It's all part of my job."

"You're not just being polite!" Director Liu replied. "You pinpointed the problem perfectly with the grid connection plan for that new energy base, saving us so much trouble!"

Fang Jingxiu smiled but didn't accept the flattery.

He took out a lighter, lit the cigarette with a "click," took a deep drag, and exhaled the smoke.

Seeing someone off is an art.

When someone reaches his level, who sees him off, where they are taken, and what they say when he leaves are all signals.

The fact that Deputy Director Wang personally came to the airport is already the highest level of protocol.

This means that the East China Sea side recognizes his importance and hopes to maintain this line.

"I heard that after Director Fang returns to Jingjing, he will immediately attend a meeting to discuss adjustments to the 14th Five-Year Plan for New Energy?" Deputy Director Wang asked tentatively.

Fang Jingxiu flicked his cigarette ash: "That's the arrangement. I've already conveyed the feedback from Qinghai."

The words were spoken vaguely, but Deputy Director Wang understood them.

Fang Jingxiu will speak up for Donghai, but how far he can go depends on subsequent cooperation.

"Thank you so much!" Deputy Director Wang raised his teacup. "Let me toast you with tea instead of wine!"

As they were chatting, Fang Jingxiu's personal cell phone in the inside pocket of his suit jacket vibrated.

It wasn't the dull vibration of a work phone; it was a crisp ringtone.

Specially configured ringtone.

Fang Jingxiu paused.

An Qi keenly noticed the pause and her gaze fell on where he had placed his phone.

Fang Jingxiu took out his phone, and two words appeared on the screen: Chen Nuo.

He glanced at the time.

It was 10:30 a.m., she should have just started work.

"Excuse me, I need to take this call." Fang Jingxiu stood up, nodded to everyone present, and walked towards the smoking area outside the lounge with his phone.

The door closed behind him, cutting off the conversation inside.

Fang Jingxiu answered the phone, his voice unconsciously softening: "Feed?"

"Brother Xiu!" Chen Nuo's voice came through the receiver, clear and with a hint of coquettishness, "Are you about to board the plane?"

"Yeah, at the airport." Fang Jingxiu leaned against the wall, a cigarette between his fingers. "What's up?"

"Nothing much, it's just..." Chen Nuo paused, his voice lowering, "I just wanted to remind you that there's a strong wind and a drop in temperature in Jingjing today, with a high of minus three degrees Celsius. Please remember to put on your coat when you get off the plane, don't think it's too much trouble."

Fang Jingxiu was taken aback for a moment, then a smile appeared in his eyes: "You pay close attention to the weather forecast."

"Of course!" Chen Nuo's tone became serious. "Also, don't drink too much coffee on the plane. You must have stayed up late again last night reviewing materials, right? Take a nap on the plane and catch up on your sleep. If you get hungry after landing, don't rush to the meeting; eat something first..."

She chattered on and on, like a little bird chirping.

Fang Jingxiu listened without interrupting, but the smile in his eyes grew deeper.

After she had finished speaking, he finally spoke: "Aunt Chen."

The other end of the phone went silent instantly.

"Huh?" Chen Nuo was stunned.

"I said," Fang Jingxiu repeated, his tone clearly teasing, "Aunt Chen, are you treating me like a child?"

Chen Nuo realized what was happening and her voice immediately softened: "No, I was just concerned about you."

"Okay." Fang Jingxiu responded, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray beside him. "I understand. He can put on his coat, sleep, and eat. Anything else you need, Aunt Chen?"

"Brother Xiu!" Chen Nuo called out, embarrassed and annoyed, "Please don't make fun of me!"

Fang Jingxiu chuckled softly.

The laughter traveled through the radio waves to Chen Nuo's ears, making the tips of her ears turn red.

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore." Fang Jingxiu stopped laughing, but his tone remained gentle. "How did your filming go today?"

"It went smoothly! But..." Chen Nuo hesitated for a moment, "There's been some discussion in the crew about Jiang Wen's injury. Some say I handled it too conspicuously, others say I overstepped my authority..."

"Don't worry about it," Fang Jingxiu interrupted her. "Just do what you're supposed to do. The gossip will naturally disappear."

"Mmm," Chen Nuo responded, paused for a few seconds, and then whispered, "Brother Xiu, I miss you a little."

These words were spoken so lightly, so lightly that they could be blown away by a gust of wind.

But Fang Jingxiu heard it.

He tightened his grip on the phone, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Faint laughter came from the lounge, reminding him that this was not a private space.

"Work hard," he finally said, his voice a little deeper than before. "See you in Jingjing on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month."

"Okay!" Chen Nuo's voice immediately brightened. "Then have a safe journey!"

"it is good."

The phone hangs up.

Fang Jingxiu held his phone and stood there for a few seconds.

Then he looked down at the screen. Chen Nuo's profile picture was a side profile of herself, smiling with her eyes crinkling in the sunlight.

His finger hovered over the screen, but he ultimately did nothing, simply putting the phone back in his pocket.

When I pushed open the door back into the lounge, the conversation inside stopped for a moment.

Fang Jingxiu sat back down in his original seat with a normal expression and lit another cigarette.

But Deputy Director Wang is a seasoned veteran.

He keenly noticed that Fang Jingxiu's entire demeanor changed after he went out to answer a phone call and came back.

Just now, he had that official, slightly aloof demeanor, but now, although his expression hasn't changed much, his brows have clearly relaxed a bit, and there's even a faint curve at the corners of his lips.

That was... a pleasant aura.

"Was that call from Director Fang,," Deputy Director Wang asked tentatively with a smile, "from home?"

Fang Jingxiu looked up at him: "A little kid."

"A little kid?" Deputy Director Wang's eyes flickered slightly. "A kid who can make Director Fang answer the phone so patiently is no ordinary kid."

This statement is ambiguous, yet tactful.

Fang Jingxiu smiled, neither denying nor admitting it, and simply flicked his cigarette ash.

This attitude sends a signal in official circles.

Not denying it often means admitting it.

An Qi tightened her grip on the teacup, her fingertips turning slightly white.

"Speaking of which," Deputy Director Wang continued, "Director Fang isn't young anymore; he should be thinking about his personal life. I have a niece who teaches at Peking University. She's beautiful and has a great personality..."

"Director Wang," Fang Jingxiu interrupted him, his tone gentle but carrying an undeniable refusal, "I'm busy with work right now and don't have time to think about these things."

"I understand, I understand!" Deputy Director Wang immediately changed his tune, "It's a good thing that young people prioritize their careers! My niece is also very career-oriented; if you met her..."

"Really, it's not necessary." Fang Jingxiu was more direct this time. "I have plans."

The phrase "I have arrangements" carries a special meaning in officialdom. It either implies that there are arrangements made by one's family or that one has made arrangements in one's own mind.

In either case, outsiders should not interfere.

Deputy Director Wang immediately understood and laughed it off: "That's good, that's good! Someone as outstanding as Director Fang must have already made plans!"

The topic returned to work.

But the atmosphere in the lounge had changed. Everyone was wondering who Fang Jingxiu, that little kid, really was.

An Qi put down her teacup and stood up: "I'm going to the restroom."

She walked out of the lounge and stopped by the window at the end of the corridor.

He took out a cigarette from his bag and lit it.

five years.

She thought she had let go of it long ago.

But the look in Fang Jingxiu's eyes when he answered the phone just now was the gentleness she had never seen before.

who is it?

She took a deep drag on her cigarette.

That spot should have been hers.

If only she had waited a little longer back then, if only she hadn't been so eager for quick success...

Unfortunately, no if.

---

Fang Jingxiu came out to get some fresh air from the smoking area.

Secretary Qin followed and reported in a low voice, "Sir, it's almost time to board the plane. Also, we received a message from Jingjing that the Old Madam is asking if you're coming back to the compound for dinner tonight."

Fang Jingxiu glanced at his watch: "Tell Mom I have a business dinner tonight and won't be home."

"Okay." Secretary Qin noted it down, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "The old lady also said... you must attend the family banquet on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month. She said there are important guests there."

Fang Jingxiu frowned slightly.

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, an important guest arrived.

This is practically an open invitation from the family to arrange a blind date.

"I understand," he said calmly. "We'll talk about it later."

Secretary Qin nodded and asked no further questions.

Fang Jingxiu looked out the window; planes were taking off and landing on the tarmac.

He recalled Chen Nuo's words on the phone earlier: "I miss you a little."

And there was the way she kept nagging him about what to wear and how to eat.

Like a girlfriend.

He was taken aback when the thought popped into his head.

Then he shook his head and smiled.

It's still early.

But... it seems like it won't be long.

---

Museli, on set.

Chen Nuo hung up the phone and spun around in place, holding his phone.

An actress nearby leaned over and asked with a grin, "Nono, who are you talking to on the phone? You're smiling so sweetly!"

"Nobody!" Chen Nuo quickly wiped the smile off his face, but the light in his eyes was still shining. "Just... a friend."

"A friend?" The actress raised an eyebrow. "What kind of friend would make you specifically check the weather in Jingjing and even tell me to wear a coat?"

Chen Nuo blushed: "That's not true!"

She ran away clutching her phone and hid behind a prop truck.

I opened WeChat and looked at my chat history with Fang Jingxiu.

The last message she sent was "Have a safe journey," to which he replied "Okay."

Simple, but enough.

She remembered the tone of his voice when he called her Aunt Chen, with a smile, a teasing tone, and... a doting tone.

Yes, pampering.

Although the word seemed a bit out of place when applied to him, she just felt it.

He was indulging her.

Indulge her concern, indulge her nagging, and even indulge her little tests.

Chen Nuo hugged his knees and sat down on the sand.

The setting sun stretched her shadow long.

She remembered her father's words: "To win over this kind of man, you can't rush it. You have to be like boiling a frog in warm water, infiltrating him little by little. By the time he realizes it, he won't be able to live without you."

She's boiling this pot of warm water right now.

And Fang Jingxiu, this frog, seems to be... no longer wanting to jump out?

Chen Nuo smiled and buried her face in her knees.

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month.

Three more days.